Determination of Free Flavan-3-ol Content in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Air-Classified Flours: Comparative Study of HPLC-DAD/MS and Spectrophotometric Determinations

The determination of free flavan-3-ol compounds in barley flours (cv. Gotic) and two resulting milling fractions (fine fraction 57% and coarse fraction 43%, w/w) obtained by air classification of dehulled grain is herein described. The determinations were carried out using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with both diode array detection and ESI-MS compared with conventional spectrophotometric determinations (total phenolic compounds by the Folin−Ciocalteu method and free radical scavenging activity with the DPPH assay). Significant correlations among the HPLC quantification, the spectrophotometric data, and the antioxidant capacity of extracts were revealed by Pearson’s analysis. Nine flavan-3-ols were identified by HPLC-MS. Catechins and their derivatives were found to make a substantial contribution to the antioxidant power of extracts. The coarse fraction showed larger concentrations of flavan-3-ols (221%) with respect to the fine fraction. This was confirmed by the antioxidant activity of the analyzed flours. The coarse fraction showed the greatest antioxidant activity (1200.1 ± 66.2 μmol of Trolox equiv/100 g of flour) with respect to whole meal and fine fraction (1025.9 ± 18.3 and 761.7 ± 55.3 μmol of Trolox equiv/100 g of flour, respectively).